'I snubbed Arsenal to sign for Tottenham – I spoke with them but chose Spurs'

A north London derby veteran snubbed Arsenal in favour of a move to Tottenham.

Midfielder Didier Zokora joined Spurs from Saint-Etienne for £8.2million in the summer of 2006 after impressing for Ivory Coast at that year's World Cup in Germany. At the time, Zokora was also wanted by the Gunners, who had just pipped their local foes to Champions League football.

Arsenal had also been Premier League champions just two years earlier and were about to move to the Emirates. However, despite holding talks with Arsene Wenger, Zokora was adamant White Hart Lane was the right place for him.

“When I signed for Spurs, Arsenal also wanted me,” he once told the Telegraph. “I spoke with Arsene after the World Cup but I preferred to come to Spurs because it gave me a good option for my life. I am very happy.”

It was arguably a wise decision as Zokora is among the small band of players who can claim to have won a major trophy with Spurs in recent times – the 2008 League Cup following an extra-time victory over Chelsea. Meanwhile, Arsenal were in the early days of a nine-year trophy drought which didn’t end until the 2014 FA Cup final victory over Hull.

Zokora’s impressive Tottenham form saw him linked with Real Madrid, but he was happy to stay put, having signed a new long-term contract in 2008. He said: “Everybody knows Real Madrid wanted me but I signed a new contract for this club and, if they want me, I stay.

“The club needs me, my life is here. Real are one of the best clubs in the world so that is good for me, no? That means I am not a bad player!”

Despite that declaration, he would spend just a few more months at Spurs after losing his place as a regular starter. Zokora joined Sevilla in the summer of 2009, spending two years with the La Liga club. Spells in Turkey, India and Indonesia followed as his playing career wound down. Now 43, Zokora is back in his homeland, where he was most recently assistant manager at AFAD Djekanou.